Knicks center Chris Dudley’s MRI taken on his elbow Saturday night came back revealing no fractures. But that doesn’t mean he’s in any less pain or can straighten his arm any better than during Game 2 in San Antonio as he plays with a hyperextended right elbow.

If tonight were a regular season game, Dudley would likely watch from the bench with Patrick Ewing. But not now when the Knicks need a Game 3 victory to avoid a 3-0 hole and a probable sweep.

“We have injuries that we just have to play through them,” said Dudley, who has never gone past the second round of the playoffs before this season. “Especially at this time of year, we’re not going to worry about it. The tests showed no fractures so it puts us back where we were, hyperextended, bone bruise. There’s a lot of swelling and will probably remain that way. Hopefully, it will get better gradually.”

Not likely. Dudley started in Game 2 but played just 13 minutes. It is difficult for him to shoot jumpers or free throws – he’s no marksman anyway. But Dudley, wearing a black elbow sleeve, doesn’t feel his ability to take on the Twin Towers in the defensive end is impaired.

Dudley, who hurt the elbow after being rammed into by Tim Duncan in Game 1 on what appeared to be a charge, hasn’t made a field goal, going 0-for-5.

“Fortunately I’m not a jumpshooter because it would effect me on that,” Dudley said.” Anything you do when you lock your arm out (is effected). Defensively, it didn’t stop me from doing anything, but it does hurt.”

Jeff Van Gundy said Dudley’s injury was a small factor in limiting his Game 2 time. Mainly, he wanted to go with more offense.

“There’s a lot of factors about what we need on the floor,” Van Gundy said. “Obviously, we’ll play Chris more if we’re struggling defensively or rebounding-wise. I thought those two areas were fairly under control [in Game 2], so we’re trying more offense. He’s battling a health issue and we’re facing a team that presents us different problems because they double team everything in the post where Indiana didn’t. We have to be able to swing the ball to the weakside.”

Dudley again wants the challenge of going against Duncan. He did so, rather unsuccessfully, for parts of Game 1. Dudley guarded Duncan sparingly in Game 2 but the two times the Spurs superstar shot against Dudley, he launched an airball and hit the side of the backboard.

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Afterward, at the Garden, Dudley was expected to work with his private free-throw shooting guru, Art Rondeau, to come up with a way to launch shots to compensate for the injury. If that didn’t work, he was also working on shooting free throws left-handed.